Orange peel is a big pet-peeve for many. And, for a very good reason: it is unaesthetic, a sign of deterioration, and visible from afar. Naturally, your first reaction when you see one is to call professional yacht painting services and schedule some maintenance work as soon as possible.
But, before you begin any yacht fairing, surfacing or painting work, let’s try to understand orange peels a bit. After all, if you know what causes them, you may learn how to prevent and repair them before they snowball into a bigger problem than it already is.
What Are the Causes of Orange Peel?
Numerous different factors can cause orange peel, whether we’re talking about just one or a combination of two or more. For starters, temperatures play a big role in this equation. If the surface you’re painting is too hot, there is a high possibility the coating will develop imperfections. But it’s not only about the temperature of the surface you’re painting. If the room you just painted had either too high or too low temperatures, it could also be a cause of that pesky orange peel appearance.
Of course, the very paint you are using could be the source of the problem, as well. In this case, it can be many things. The wrong spray equipment or techniques, the wrong pressure equipment, the wrong thinner, the wrong spray procedure or time intervals, or the wrong over-coating time interval can all play a role in the process of painting a yacht and can influence the development of an orange peel appearance.
How Do You Prevent Orange Peel?
First things first: make sure the environment is suitable for yacht painting. That means considering all of the external factors and adapting the process to them. If the weather is too hot, the paint can dry too fast, which can result in an uneven distribution of it. If the weather is particularly windy, the wind can blow on the surface, not allowing it to be completely covered by paint.
Never forget about your environment, especially if you’re painting a yacht outside – if possible, schedule your painting project on days when the weather is mild, and it’s not too windy or humid. On the other hand, if you’re in a closed space, make sure the visibility is good, and there is enough ventilation.
Secondly, make sure you respect every little detail when painting your yacht. Use only professional equipment and make sure you know what the painting technique entails and what the paint manufacturer’s instructions say. Make sure the setting is good, and you respect the coating and re-coating intervals.
How Do You Repair Orange Peel?
The deed is done, and the only thing you can look at now is the orange peel on your yacht. What can you do to fix it? There are a few approaches, depending on how severe the orange peel is.
You can either choose to sand the surface and paint again or sand and then polish. Either way, make sure you use the appropriate thinner and respect the drying times before applying a new coat of paint. Always check the top coat for the right viscosity and avoid high temperatures at all costs. Don’t forget to use the right spray procedures, respecting their time intervals and techniques.
For some people, having a bit of orange peel here and there on their boats is not a big deal – they don’t even notice it, and even if they do, they don’t mind it enough to do something about it. But some people hate the thought of any imperfections, especially if their yacht is brand new.
What’s important is that orange peel is completely fixable, so if you can’t live with seeing those pesky imperfections anymore, then try to fix it. However, because this process can be quite complicated, we recommend hiring yacht painting services, such as the ones offered by Chi Yacht Refinishing. Whether you’re looking for yacht surfacing, painting or polishing, we have the skills and equipment to do an outstanding job every time.